The how isn’t as important as the what: My soul had grown obese with doubt, and I could no longer squeeze into my religion. Like every good Evangelical Poster Child, I had been raised with Believe-It-All theology (lest God spit me out of His mouth in disgust!), so when I chose to Believe-It-None I became God’s holy puke. When faith is your whole identity, rejecting it is not unlike swan-diving into a bed of nails. It’s spiritual suicide; you’ll be forced attend a thousand little funerals for your shattered self, each worse than the last. The pain is so brutal, so intense, that it’s easier to tell yourself lies: Faith isn’t important; I don’t need God; I can partition off my soul with demolition tape and tip-toe around the condemned site forever. Except that eventually? I couldn’t play pretend. At 29, I realized with utter horror that I yearned to be "someone who believed." In what, I had no idea. But suddenly the what was not as important as the how: how could I possibly find faith when merely attending church incited flashbacks, weeping, puking and (once) hives? CNN's Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the big stories Well. I did what any damaged psychology grad would do; I decided to treat myself with spiritual shock therapy! Yes! I would go to 30 places of worship before my 30th birthday! I would fit this full-time quest into my already full-time life! (Brilliant, yes? Ahem). I would rise; I would take faith by force; I would conquer! (Actually, before going all ticker-tape victory parade? I would also hurt. A lot. But I didn’t know that then.) One week after my 29th birthday, I launched my project. I channeled dead relatives with Christian Spiritualists, testified with Mormons, chanted Hare Krishna, feasted with the Amish, fasted for 30 days, and danced around fire to the beat of pagan drums. I sang hymns beside gays and next to folks who don’t welcome gays in their pews. I was damned to hell and told I was god. I raised my hands with Pentecostals and folded them with Catholics; I dressed for mosque and undressed (my feet) to enter the Sikh temple. I shouted with Baptists and was silent in Buddhist meditation. I met Quakers, hugged Jehovah’s Witnesses and studied miracles under an Eastern Orthodox urban monk. And in the process I came alive again.

CNN)–Wheaton College, the most prominent evangelical higher education institution in the United States, has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration over a mandate to provide contraceptive coverage. The Illinois school joins Catholic counterparts Catholic University and the University of Notre Dame in filing suits to stop a Health and Human Services mandate to provide birth control coverage to their employees. The move is significant because the new evangelical opposition to the policy—coming not just from Catholic institutions - could have election-year political fallout. The HHS mandate requires employers to provide free contraception coverage to their employees. Although the plan exempted churches, other religiously affiliated employers, including colleges and hospitals, were not exempt. In the face of that opposition, the Department of Health and Human Services tweaked its original rule in February to require health insurers, not employers, to cover the cost of contraception coverage, reasoning that would prevent religious groups from having to finance such coverage. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories Despite the change in policy many of those groups have said the mandate remains a violation of their beliefs against contraceptives. Catholic teaching forbids the use of any contraceptives. Many evangelicals do not oppose the use of contraceptives, but believe life begins at conception and say some contraceptives, like emergency contraceptives, induce abortions. The government mandate covers all forms of FDA approved contraceptives and the administration has said time and again they felt the policy and its exceptions "struck the right balance" on religious freedoms and providing health care for people who need it. The suit was filed Wednesday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for the college by the Becket Fund, the same law firm that is representing multiple lawsuits against the HHS policy. Key Catholic group drops support for White House contraception plan In their filing attorney's wrote the mandate, "runs roughshod over Wheaton’s religious beliefs, and the beliefs of millions of other Americans, by forcing it to provide health insurance coverage for abortifacient drugs and related education and counseling." Should the university not abide by the new mandate they are subject to fines. While many religious groups were provided an extension of one year to adhere to the mandate, Wheaton said because of technical reasons with their insurance provider they were ineligible for that extension. In a conference call with reporters about the lawsuit, Wheaton College President Philip Graham Ryken, said the the penalties for not following the mandate, “would amount to $1.4 million in fines annually for faculty and staff alone.” The lawsuit is seeking, "declaratory

iReport Debate. East St. Louis, Illinois (CNN) -- In a letter sent to the East St. Louis school board in April, the Illinois superintendent of education said the board was engaged in acts of corruption. Specifically, the letter alleges, board members tried to hire unqualified family members to administrative positions. The letter also alleges that board members stonewalled reforms, disobeyed state rules, mishandled important personnel issues and hired a lawyer who has never counseled the board, at a cost of $6,000 per month. State Superintendent Christopher Koch has ordered the state to take over the district. But in an interview with CNN, school board member and former East St. Louis Mayor Carl Officer says it is the state that's corrupt. He denies the charges of widespread cronyism and blames poor performance at the schools on greedy politicians and "poor parenting." Officer is suing the state to keep local control of the board. Caught in the middle are the approximately 7,000 students attending schools in the district. East St. Louis is an impoverished, blighted and economically depressed area. There are many abandoned lots and partially burned houses. Violent crime in the city is more than 15 times higher than the rest of nation, according to police statistics. The unemployment rate was 13.9% in May 2012, more than five percentage points higher than the national average. U.S. Census figures show 41% of the 27,000 residents live below the poverty line. Louis Jones grew up in East St. Louis. The 17-year-old brought the school district's problems to our attention through his video submission. Jones, who says he was "lucky" because he went to a private school, lived next to an East St. Louis middle school. Although Jones didn't attend public school, he says his friends that did often complained about poor teachers, a lack of school support, and shoddy classroom conditions. Watch Lewis Jones' original story on CNN iReport "It was extremely horrible," Jones says. "The teachers didn't really care. They were basically there to have a job, and they didn't really care for the kids. Like, they didn't learn anything. They came out with basically nothing. Nobody ever took books, nobody ever took a backpack, nobody, like ... it was almost like it wasn't even a school, it was just like a day care center." According to the most recent U.S. Census statistics, more than 25% of youth in East St. Louis did not graduate high school. Only 11% of students met or exceeded exceeded proficiency standards in math and reading in 2011. East St. Louis High School student Danasia McDonald says some of her teachers will show movies during class time. McDonald recalls a time that her teacher insulted the entire class. "We (were) working on something, and (the teacher) was moving too slow," McDonald recalls. When they tried to tell the teacher that they were retreading old ground, the teacher, according to McDonald, said: "Well, we dumb the lesson down for you all so you all can get it. You act like y'all can't comprehend." Hear from another student who lives on the other side of the river For over a month, CNN Radio contacted several East St. Louis schools for comment, including East St. Louis High School, but those calls were not returned. Schools in the district had closed for summer recess when CNN Radio made the phone calls. "You got to realize that kids are coming from homes that are distraught ... divorces, job losses (and) family problems," says Brenda Mitchell, an elementary school teacher who works for the adjacent Cahokia School District. Mitchell says many of her students will attend middle and high school in East St. Louis. "It's just not (the lack of) money for our district, but there's, you know, a lot of challenges we in education have to face, and we have to pick them up from where they are and take them on forward," Mitchell says. Officer says the problems in the district are no different than those in other blighted and economically depressed areas. "Quite frankly, what happens here is probably not any different than what's happening in Harlem or Cleveland or Appalachia," Officer says. "There's no difference between a fifth-grade student in West Virginia and a fifth-grade student in Louisiana or California. It really starts with the basic premises of having a moral commitment by parents. I don't care how good the teachers are or how much money you have inside of the school district. Unless a parent wants to see their child succeed, you're fighting an uphill battle." What could have been better about your education? Share your story with CNN iReport. Several studies, including one from the child welfare foundation America's Promise Alliance, show a high dropout rate in the nation's 50 largest cities. In those cities, only 53% of high school students graduate within four years. That rate drops further in urban schools in economically depressed areas; Indianapolis, Cleveland, Baltimore and Los Angeles all have low graduation rates. For example, in Cleveland, only 34% students graduated in 2009 from inner city high schools, according to the America's Promise Alliance study. Listen to CNN Radio's story from East St. Louis CNN iReporter and East St. Louis native, Louis Jones, says the federal government has to do more to improve public education, especially in blighted areas. Jones says he wants to see President Barack Obama and the GOP challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, make a top policy priority the improvement of public education, especially in inner cities. Jones also says he would like to see inner city students given more of a voice in their education. "I feel like students should have the right to evaluate their class and their teacher," Jones says. "I feel like teacher evaluations by the student, and looking at their academic record, I'm pretty sure you can tell a good teacher from a bad teacher." See all of the Embed America coverage here. And track the Embed team's progress on our map. CNN's Gavin Godfrey and Jonathan Binder contributed to this report. We recommend NFL player kills himself at his former high school, police say Woman lifts car, saves her father Mars rover captures nearby rocket 'footprint' 1 killed after plane crashes in Los Angeles neighborhood 'Impressive' Curiosity landing only 1.5 miles off, NASA says Moon lander prototype blows up in NASA test From around the web Cat With an Identity Crisis Turns Into a Dashing Dog (The New York Times) Storm Surfers 3D: Six of the Best Waves | Movie Feature (Red Bull) Say Hello to the Iranian Caterpillar Your Grandchildren Will Be Driving (CarBuzz) How Iran’s Spies Are Losing the Shadow War With U.S. and Israel (The Daily Beast) Robert F Kennedy tells of final phone call with wife before suicide (IrishCentral) Plenty of dark matter near the Sun (EarthSky) [what's this] Real-time updating is enabled. Comments for this page are closed. Showing 7 comments Bob Caps Having lived there myself, I would say it looks like a war zone. Burnt out homes and buildings. Striped and abandoned cars 3 or 4 to a block, some burnt out. Piles of junk and trash everywhere. No one from St Louis or Granit City to the north will drive through town after dark if at all. When I'm driving through there I won't stop even for a red light. What do you expect from children? Like 2 weeks ago 1 Like Maria Isabel Garcia Shaking my head at all the racist, ignorant posts on here. Of course you don't see the problem when you were born in to privilege. Your just hear about it and feel the need to voice your hateful opinions to anyone who will listen. The reason why slaves were forbidden to be literate is the same reason black kids are denied a quality education. The privileged few want to keep their power. White supremacy still exists in this country, but not for long. People are starting to open their eyes and reject their second class citizenry. Like 2 weeks ago 1 Like rammstein23 A lot of this problem comes down to economics. Parent involvement is often low due to single parenthood and parents working multiple jobs to pay for the rent and necessities. Most parents care about their children and want them to succeed, but some don't have the knowledge or the opportunities they need to make it happen. The parents did not receive a high quality education so they do not know how to support their chidren economically, or academically. Parents in suburban or middle class urban areas work fewer hours and have the personal experience of having received a better education to draw on when raising their children. Like 2 weeks ago 7 Likes babyrex Spot on... "It really starts with the basic premises of having a moral commitment by parents. I don't care how good the teachers are or how much money you have inside of the school district. Unless a parent wants to see their child succeed, you're fighting an uphill battle." Like 2 weeks ago 5 Likes Aj They all are a burden on society...welfare or prison.... Like 2 weeks ago 5 Likes Foulkeblows Yup, everyone points the finger and wants the OTHER person to care. Like 2 weeks ago 4 Likes Kevin Simmons Why should teachers care? It's pretty obvious that the students and their parents don't. Maybe when education and learning is given a priority in the AA community then things will change. Until then nothing. Like 2 weeks ago 4 Likes M Subscribe by email S RSS Most Popular Today's five most popular stories Olympics Day 16: Team USA holds on to basketball title N.Y. police identify man fatally wounded by officers near Times Square Ryan's clandestine journey to Romney's ticket went from 'surreal to real' Rescue operations end after Iran quakes kill 250 'Gang' shoots, kills international peacekeeper in Sudan's Darfur region

On Global Public Square last month, Fareed Zakaria made the case that the U.S. economy is struggling in part due to poor investment in science. He based this conclusion on two claims: First, that federal research and development (R&D) investment has declined over the past several years and, second, that American students have fallen behind in science education. The first claim, while true, only tells part of the story. As we discuss in the upcoming Science Left Behind, American R&D investment has been relatively consistent for the past 30 years, never dropping below 2.3 percent of GDP. Though the federal portion of U.S. R&D investment has fallen during this period, the private sector has actually picked up the slack. Indeed, the most recent estimate for 2012 shows that the U.S. will spend approximately 2.85 percent of its GDP on R&D. How does this compare with other countries? Japan (3.48 percent), Germany (2.87 percent) and South Korea (3.45 percent) outspent the United States in R&D when it is measured as a percentage of GDP. But these numbers are misleading because they fail to recognize the proper context – that is, the sheer enormity of the U.S. economy. Though the U.S. “merely” spends 2.85 percent of its GDP on R&D, in absolute terms, that’s $436 billion – more than all of Europe combined. In fact, if all of the world’s R&D money was placed in a giant pot, nearly one out of every three dollars would come from the U.S. Zakaria invokes international standardized test scores to support his second claim that young American students are falling behind. However, American students haven’t really fallen behind – they never did well on international standardized tests in the first place. In 1964, U.S. students participated in the First International Math Study. How did they do? Not well. They placed 11th out of 12. In 2009, American students had math scores placing them 25th out of 34 countries in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam. This sent education lobbyists on a quest for more funding, even though the U.S. already spends $91,700 per pupil from kindergarten through 12th grade (behind only Switzerland, which still placed only 8th in math). Despite poor performance on standardized test scores, the United States has led the world in Nobel Prizes and is widely recognized as the indisputable leader in higher education and scientific output. American education teaches kids how to think, not how to take standardized tests. And importantly, smart immigrants keep flocking to the United States, largely because of education. Zakaria’s concern is understandable because everybody wants a more educated society, but there’s little evidence that creating more scientists will actually help get the economy back on track. Careers in academia are extremely difficult to find, as any post-doctoral researcher will testify. For instance, only 14 percent of biology PhD’s obtain an academic position within five years. For engineering, it’s 15 percent. Even in the field with the most success, the social sciences, less than half of PhD’s find an academic job within five years. And the most depressing statistic: More than 5,000 janitors in the U.S. have PhD’s. Much of the existin

(CNN) -- Plans to adopt Chinese civic education into the Hong Kong public school curriculum have sparked protests among residents, who claim it amounts to "brainwashing" impressionable young minds with pro-mainland propaganda. More than 90,000 people took to the streets on Sunday against introducing a "Moral and National Education" subject, according to protest organizers, while police estimated the turnout at 32,000. While the actual content of the curriculum has yet to be determined, guidelines in a booklet distributed by the government's National Education Services Centre to schools have inflamed the controversy. The booklet, entitled "The China Model," includes provocative statements, including that China's ruling party is "progressive, selfless and united." It also criticized multi-party systems as bringing disaster to countries such as the United States. The booklet also makes no mention of major events that many view as integral to China's history, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Many teachers, parents, and students have interpreted the booklet as a basis for the national education curriculum, which will be introduced in primary schools in September and in secondary schools the following school year. "We don't want the next generation of Hong Kong people to be brainwashed," said Joshua Wong, 15, the convener of Scholarism, a group of secondary students that helped organize Sunday's protest along with the National Education Parents Concern Group and the Professional Teachers' Union. All education is, to some extent, designed to brainwash. Wong Chi Man, who directs Hong Kong's National Education Services Centre "It's impossible to be brainwashed," said Wong Chi Man, who directs the National Education Services Centre. "Hong Kong people still have access to a lot of information. All education is, to some extent, designed to brainwash. I think the word 'brainwash' is too negative. It evokes something out of 'Clockwork Orange.'" Hong Kong 15 years later Hong Kong anniversary prompts protests Open Mic: Hong Kong's identity China and Hong Kong: Who needs whom? "Hong Kong's future and China's future are inseparable," he added. "We will never be independent so we should learn to think the same way as China. Teachers should lead our children to think about Hong Kong's future." Wong went on to explain that there will be some flexibility as to how national education will be implemented. For example, schools can choose to have specific lessons in the classroom or incorporate "national education" as a broader theme. "It's important to point out the government's approach actually allows for a lot of autonomy on the part of the schools to teach the curriculum," said Peter Cheung, associate profes

"People are crazy," said Razia Jan, founder of a girls' school outside Kabul. "The day we opened the school, (on) the other side of town, they threw hand grenades in a girls' school, and 100 girls were killed.

There were at least 185 documented attacks on schools and hospitals in Afghanistan last year, according to the United Nations. The majority were attributed to armed groups opposed to girls' education.

"It is heartbreaking to see the way these terrorists treat ... women," said Jan, 68. "In their eyes, a women is an object that they can control. They are scared that when these girls get an education, they will become aware of their rights as women and as a human being."

Despite the threat of violence, Jan continues to open the doors of her Zabuli Education Center, a two-story, 14-room building where 354 area girls are receiving a free education.

"Most of the (local) men and women are illiterate," Jan said. "Most of our students are the first generation of girls to get educated."

Seven small villages make up Deh'Subz, where the school is located. Though Deh'Subz is not Taliban-controlled, Jan has still found it difficult to change the deep-rooted stigma against women's education.

Romney has named military service, but not education, as a pathway. – Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker – Check out the CNN Electoral Map and Calculator and game out your own strategy for November. "As president I will stand for a path to legal status for anyone who is willing to stand up and defend this great nation through military service," he said at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference last Thursday. In the interview published Friday with the conservative publication and website Newsmax, Romney appeared to go further, either suggesting that higher education should accompany military service or be an alternative to military service for young people seeking legal status. "For those that are here as the children of those that came here illegally, I want to make sure they have a permanent answer to what their status will be," he said. "And I've indicated in my view that those who serve in the military and have advanced degrees would certainly qualify for that kind of permanence." Romney campaign spokesman Ryan Williams said in a statement following publication of the interview that Romney "simply misspoke in this interview." "The Governor was referring to his long-held position that young illegal immigrants brought here as children who serve in the military should be able to obtain legal permanent residence and that we should staple a green card to the diploma of every eligible student visa holder who graduates from one of our universities with an advanced degree in math, science, or engineering," Williams said. At the NALEO conference - and before it on the campaign trail - Romney has said that as president he would "update our temporary worker visa program" and "staple a green card to the diploma of someone who gets an advanced degree in America." But he has not said if those would apply to young illegal immigrants who have graduated, are enrolled, or are seeking admission to higher education. Nor has he said if he would repeal an Obama Administration directive that would defer the deportation of some young illegal immigrants who were or are successful students, as well as those who served or are serving in the military, have no criminal record, and pose no threat. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida who Romney said he is vetting as a possible running mate, has supported a Republican alternative to the DREAM Act which would create a legal pathway for those who serve in the military or pursue higher education. But Rubio, Romney, and many other Republicans are opposed to the DREAM Act, a measure supported by many Democrats which would include a pathway to citizenship. A senior adviser to Romney's campaign said that Romney would consider all Obama Administration executive actions "subject to review and repeal." Rather, Romney has said that he favors broader immigration reform, rather than the president's limited order. "If I'm president I will reform immigration with an idea of making immigration more transparent, helping reunite families, assuring that we have a large and ample supply of workers that are needed in agriculture and other temporary assignments," he said in the Newsmax interview. Also see: Obama campaign to opponents: Move past health care fight Fund-raising flurry after Supreme Court ruling Romney reacts to health care ruling, renews repeal pledge Obama: Supreme Court decision is a 'victory' Filed under: 2012 • Immigration • Mitt Romney We recommend Democratic group prepping for Romney 'Veep Mistake' CNN Political Ticker Obama lead disappears in Virginia CNN Political Ticker Couple's secret proposal is a viral hit CNN Video Moose gets antlers tangled in swing set CNN Video Kinesio tape: The latest Olympic accessory CNN Health Sex before competing: Does it boost athletes' performance? CNN Health From around the web Why Sarah Palin’s Reputation Has Plummeted as Bill Clinton’s Has Grown The Daily Beast House Republican accidentally tells truth about Solyndra investigation Grist Magazine The Romney Hood Fairy Tale PRESIDENT&CEO Donald Trump slams Republicans’ anti-President Obama advertisement - “one of the worst commercials” – VIDEO IrishCentral Are you Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or Green Party? Try this short quiz to find out? Forbes.com Obama’s College Videos Leaked Newzar [what's this] soundoff (71 Responses) Ken When referring to immigration reform, Romney and the Republicans do not intend to bestow legal status on any immigrant from our southern border. They are only referring to those immigrants from India, China, or any European nation. June 30, 2012 10:06 am at 10:06 am | judy again romney talks a lot but says nothing. No shift in his policy. If you believe this guy then you deserv him. Flip flop as usual. Go team Obama 2012 Forward June 30, 2012 10:14 am at 10:14 am | Teena How the hel can this man continue to misstated his viewpoint- he either has one or he doesn't! So, exactly what is his view on immigration? June 30, 2012 10:22 am at 10:22 am | Ray E. (Georgia) I am not sure what Romney or any one else is postering for these illegals but if they are not happy with the pecking order they find themselves in they can find the way back to their own country. For those who were brought here as children those who are trying the help them you should help them to return to their own country and prepare to go thru the process to become a U.S Citizen. It will probably take some money. The American Citizen won't give Amnstey. There is already a process in place to become a citizen. I understand there are about 8 million in line now. June 30, 2012 10:25 am at 10:25 am | American Romney is against it, before he was for it, when he was against it originally, before being for it to be against... So confusing when Romney flip-flops so much. No wonder he "misspoke." How can he keep up when Romney promised to veto the DREAM Act? June 30, 2012 10:28 am at 10:28 am | Joe There he goes agian! You never REALLY know where he stands on the issues. Either her is obscuring what he stands for, or he just says what he thinks will appeal to enough people to get him elected. He wavers too much to be trusted to run the most powerful country and the leader of the free world. He is not STEADY. June 30, 2012 10:36 am at 10:36 am | 1twinsfan It must be so hard for Mitt to remember which way he's supposed to flip. "Now, what was I for yesterday? Well, today, I think the opposite." I am not for illegal immigration (hey, who is?) but this can be a win-win for the US and the young adults of getting some sort of legal residency and the US getting some sort of service in return. June 30, 2012 10:50 am at 10:50 am | Karl Jonas How can you misstate your own views? That is unless you don't have any views of your own. June 30, 2012 10:56 am at 10:56 am | Curt Seems to me Mitt misspeaks alot. He changes his stance on issues according to what crowd he is pandering to. God help America if he gets elected to be President. June 30, 2012 11:10 am at 11:10 am | Mike Romney is the republican party's version of Jihn Kerry. When he walks all you hear is "flip-flop, flip-flop". June 30, 2012 11:20 am at 11:20 am | Frank Ah, he "simply misspoke" again. Amazing. One should read his statements when he passed Romneycare in MA, about how only taxing those who would not participate was necessary to make it work (and it does, by the way)... June 30, 2012 11:26 am at 11:26 am | Sorensen How can he shift if he has no policy? June 30, 2012 11:50 am at 11:50 am | Tom Mitt will say absolutely anything, depending upon his audience, to get elected. Conservatives distrust him and Democrats don't like him-another election based on the lesser of two evils. Obama wins only because Romney is an even worse choice-but that's what happens when you have no convictions until you check with your advisers. June 30, 2012 12:11 pm at 12:11 pm | Claudia, Houston, Tx Does that include Romney's five(5) sons? June 30, 2012 12:11 pm at 12:11 pm | Thomas Romney , I like Mexicans when there all the same size ! June 30, 2012 12:41 pm at 12:41 pm | Anonymous Romney, can you explain to the American people why NONE of your SIX SONS in the MILITARY, I guest you with all your Money can buy yourself out, but putting our boys & girls in hams way is the good thing for you and your wife, you are a disgrace to us all who have our boys & girls fighting to keep us safe while you and you Wall Street cronies are ripping off the poor. Shame on you Romney you will never be President. " OUR PRESIDENT OBAMA 2012" June 30, 2012 12:50 pm at 12:50 pm | lyn Romney, can you tell the American people why None of your SIX SONS in the military, I guest that you with all your money can buy yourselves out, but it is ok for you to send our boys & girls in hams way, Romney you and your wife is a disgrace to the American people who have their boys & girls fighting to keep us safe not knowing if we will ever see them again.All I have to say to you Romney you will never be President. " Our President Obama 2012" June 30, 2012 01:02 pm at 1:02 pm | tim here we go again with mitt's double-talk June 30, 2012 01:10 pm at 1:10 pm | Tell the truth dude always claim to be taken out of context.. he is never wrong, just no conviction, no integrity, no core.. June 30, 2012 01:51 pm at 1:51 pm | Logic N LA This is the law Obama just signed in. The man will say anythingto get elected and pander. He did not misspoke, he just lied – either now or in the past. You pick which occasion. June 30, 2012 02:53 pm at 2:53 pm | Marla Yet another Romney flip-flop. This guy can never stand by anything that he says for long. It's no wonder that the young people who are affected by the President's decision are waiting until after the election to declare themselves. I would be afraid of Romney if I were them, too. I hope that every Hispanic person who is eligible to vote is listening. I'm sure that many of them grew up with cousins, friends, etc. who were brought here illegally as babies or small children. Think about them and vote! OBAMA and all Democrats 2012! June 30, 2012 03:56 pm at 3:56 pm | « Previous 1 2 3 « previous postnext post » Follow this Blog: TwitterFacebook @PoliticalTicker on Twitter In hometown to raise campaign cash, Obama targets Romney's running mate -- on.cnn.com/MSeYyY PoliticalTicker 5:09 pm ET August 12, 2012 RETWEET The race to define Paul Ryan - wp.me/p4HKM-130W PoliticalTicker 4:41 pm ET August 12, 2012 RETWEET Obama heads home to rake in campaign cash - wp.me/p4HKM-130N PoliticalTicker 1:35 pm ET August 12, 2012 RETWEET Controversial pro-Obama ad remains in spotlight Sunday - wp.me/p4HKM-130J PoliticalTicker 1:16 pm ET August 12, 2012 RETWEET Romney paints Ryan as reluctant Washingtonian -- though Ryan spent career in nation's capital - wp.me/p4HKM-130A PoliticalTicker 11:59 am ET August 12, 2012 RETWEET From CNN Politics Romney's choice of Ryan changes the race August 11, 2012 07:54 pm Ryan: Obama has a record of failure August 11, 2012 04:06 pm Ryan: Romney is the man for this moment August 11, 2012 02:44 pm Ryan's journey from Weinermobile driver to VP candidate August 11, 2012 04:59 pm Reid's Romney tax claims put GOP in a bind August 7, 2012 04:54 pm Wife: Rep. Jackson still 'very depressed' August 5, 2012 04:39 pm Related Links CNNPolitics.com Election Center The Cafferty File Blog TIME.com: Swampland Recent Posts TRENDING: In hometown to raise campaign cash, Obama targets Romney’s running mate The race to define Paul Ryan Controversial anti-Romney ad remains in spotlight Sunday Romney paints Ryan as reluctant Washingtonian - though Ryan spent career in nation's capital Republicans say Ryan's Medicare plan not a deal breaker for seniors

CNN)–Areas of Brooklyn, New York feel like a trip back in time. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities live a lifestyle that mirrors their ancestors from centuries ago. The dress, hair, language, education, food, values, prayers, traditions and community structure have been passed down and preserved through many generations and across oceans. All of those are an expression of the residents’ profound faith in God. What is not visible are shameful secrets: Child sex abuse scandals have been making headlines for years and bringing unwanted attention to a group bent on privacy. For Hasidim, every waking act is defined by the laws of the Torah; they depend on the teachings of rabbis to guide them in all parts of their day. Influence from the secular world threatens to invade their insular community. Now revered leaders of the community are accused of protecting child predators and punishing the victims who dare to speak out about what was done to them, all to avoid outside involvement. FULL STORY The Editors - CNN Belief Blog Filed under: Belief • Judaism